I recently contracted with AYA Masonry, Alil Alili owner, for 10K job. He showed me photos of beautiful jobs he allegedly did. The work he did at my home was no where near the quality of the work in the photos..
He dropped off one person, Yanni.. The workmanship is horrible... He started the wall just OK and said it would improve.. It looks like a person with no skills did the job.. They used no base for the wall, no drainage.. He just slapped stones together with large globs of mortar and didn't point any of the joints Huge voids thru out the wall for water to gather and freeze. The stairs were built on dirt with no foundation, drainage or reinforcement, the tread, rise and level are out by inches.. They are dangerous for anyone to use never mind a older age person .. He didn't complete the basement floor resurfacing .. He didn't move all the appliances as he said he would, only the easy ones, he didn't clean or prep the old floor. I know because I chipped up some of his work to check . I was an inspector for 25 years, I know alot of the tricks.. It is a mess, not flat, level or smooth... Bumps, high spots trowel marks ..
The hole he cut for walk-in door is so far off I have to higher a real mason to fix before the door can be installed.. The basement and house is filled with a silica dust from cutting this opening.. I have to hire service pro to clean because it is considered hazardous waste.. All because when told to use water on cutting blade, he didn't.. Was told to hang plastic to contain dust.. He didn't.. Owner said that the dust is my problem not his.. Now he wants 5000. more to come back and fix the poor workmanship and the job...
He didn't even have all the tools to do job and was using my tools.. Never again with this non-professional wanabe mason company.. He will do a good job only if you stand there and watch him .. He will do anything, say anything to beat you out of a few pennies and seems to think there is nothing wrong with lying to you, skimping on materials and not do the basics of good masonry practices to maximize his profit. He started using "play sand" instead of masonry sand..
It is hit or miss with his help.. He hires from the back of Waterbury Home Depot and doesn't care if they are skilled or criminals.. He brought 2 guys up with no tools to install door.. #1, they were covered in prison type of tattoos, #2, I asked them if they were carpenters, they replied laughing "we are today" ..#3 Aya wanted me to lend them my tools, because they didn't want to buy tools for 1 job...
And as of today when I asked the building inspector to come and check the work, he said they never got a permit as AYA said they would do. 10k job and no permit... I found out he does NOT have a Contractors License number or insurance, he lied about that... He uses workers with questionable skills. This man can not be trusted to do a job to code and will lie ( like gravel base for wall) . He will say anything, promise you a golden pyramid to get the job, and then give you a mole hill. Then cut corners, use unskilled workers, anything to save a nickel and nothing for a honest professional job.. one man on the job for a week and a half, crap work no part of the job completed. Left the property open to the elements and theft, and AYA masonry says that was 50% of the job and worth 5000. American dollars.. and wants another 5000. to complete the mess he started.... Hire at your own risk.. Never again for me.. This wanabe mason company doesn't have professional or skilled masons, it they did they are not with this company now.. The way AYA Masonry does masonry work, a masonry wall he builds will start to deteriorate with the first freeze and will be falling apart in a very short time compared to a professional built wall by real masons with proper knowledge and skills... They say you get what you pay for, not in this case.. I paid almost double what other company's gave, because this guy promised a superior and professional job.. And then he abandons the job when his screw ups are pointed out, the work is unacceptable for what I paid and that the building inspector came up and wants to talk to him.. He is so low he entered the house weeks later and removed items after he abandoned the job..
